Theme: Wi-Fi Interference - Wi is replaced by Fi in each familiar phrase.
24A. Angler's daydream? : (W)FISHFUL THINKING
33A. Participate in a food fight? : FLIP ONE'S (W)FIG. The first letter F shouldn't be bothersome, as the theme is Wi to Fi conversion. Same with the extra Fs in 83A and 82D.
51A. Ophthalmologist's diagnosis? : EYE(W)FITNESS NEWS
83A. Auto design now, vis-à-vis the 1950s? : NO -(W)FIN SITUATION
101A. Offshore WBA venue? : ISLE OF (W)FIGHT
111A. Round up a passel of stoolies? : CATCH FORTY (W)FINKS. I like "a passel of" description.
4D. Bulldozer specification? : (W)FILL POWER
82D. Unrestrained Kentucky Derby entrant? : FREE (W)FILLY
Not familiar with John R Conrad. Cruciverb shows he had 2 puzzles with LA Times in 2006. Welcome back!
I like the theme. Grokked the gimmick earlier on. When I read the title, I thought some Fi's will be changed to Wi's, some Wi's will be changed to Fi's. That would be a little chaotic, but more fun. Yes?
Across:
1. Cram : STUFF. First thought: JAM IN
6. "Forget it, I'm just ranting" : IGNORE ME. Didn't come to me readily.
14. Rub : ABRADE
20. Nobelist Curie : MARIE
21. Finely worked fabrics : BROCADES. Like this. Bill G's wife should know something about that fabric.
22. Daytime TV fare : SOAPER
23. Slant : ANGLE
26. Adler of the stage : STELLA. Not familiar with this name. Would be great if it's clued as "A Streetcar Named Desire" related, since we also have 75A. Kowalski portrayer : BRANDO (Marlon) in the grid. Stanley Kowalski.
28. __ Tomé : SAO
29. Rial spender : OMANI
30. Door fastener : HASP
31. N, in many org. names : NATL
39. Ending with switch : EROO. Switcheroo. And 88A. Ranch ending : ERO. Ranchero.
40. Second: Abbr. : ASST
41. Amount to make do with : LESS. Tricky clue.
42. Have a party, say : HOST
43. Implemented, as an idea : RAN WITH
45. Subatomic particle : MUON. This word just looks so wrong.
46. Hot thing on a horse? : TIP. Oh, horse racing.
49. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. No idea. I do know Rai though, as in the stunning Aishwarya Rai. It seems that Rai, Rao and Raja are all variants of some royal surname.
50. Jawbreaker rock genre : EMO
55. Guru's residence : ASHRAM
58. Dotted line, at times: Abbr. : PERF
59. Delights : ELATES
60. Pacific Coast, e.g.: Abbr. : HWY
61. Whirl : GYRATE
63. How author Charles Reade is named? : APTLY. We've seen this clue before.
65. Cardinal : MAIN. What did you have in mind when reading the clue?
68. Sneak : SIDLE
70. Yeses, to Yves : OUIs.
71. Corporate identifier : LOGO
72. Bête __ : NOIRE
73. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE
74. Vaughan Williams contemporary : HOLST (Gustave). "The Planets" composer. Nailed it, Jayce?
77. Enforcers, with "the" : LAW
78. Amplified : ON MIKE
80. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)
81. Compensate for : OFFSET
87. "__ the fields ..." : O'ER
89. Verb addition? : OSE. Verbose.
90. Salacious stuff : SMUT
91. It's tapped to make syrup : TREE SAP
95. Natural successor : HEIR
97. Go over hastily : SCAN
98. Kick (out) : DRUM
100. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) : EHLE. Total stranger. How do you pronounce Ehle?
105. Bit : IOTA
106. Minnesota __ : FATS
107. Way through a fence : STILE
108. Apple for the teacher? : MAC. Why? Teachers mostly use Mac?
109. __ training : TOILET
118. Loud noise : BLARE
119. Dance in 3/4 time : MINUET
120. Aromatic : REDOLENT
121. "__ Nothin'": "Oklahoma!" song : ALL ER
122. Main road : ARTERY
123. Evaluated : ASSESSED
124. Twosomes : DYADs
Down:
1. Lollapalooza : SMASHER. Lollapalooza is a strange word.
2. Clarion blast : TANTARA
3. Pushes : URGES ON
5. React emotionally to : FEEL
6. Pugilists' org. : IBF (International Boxing Federation)
7. Mill inputs : GRISTs
8. Dietary restriction : NO SALT
9. Figura de __: Spanish ice-skater's move : OCHO. Figure eight.
10. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF
11. End of a dean's address : EDU
12. Brooks of "The Producers" : MEL
13. Bars at the bar : ESTOPS. Do you actually use this in your work, Lemonade/Hahtool?
14. Mongolian, e.g. : ASIAN
15. "__ chance, Monsieur!" : BONNE
16. Debonair : RAKISH
17. Bee: Pref. : API
18. Animal house : DEN. I've never seen "Animal House".
19. 0.0000001 joules : ERG. I bet constructor/Rich and his test-solvers had to check twice to make sure they got the right numbers of 0.
25. Med. care provider : HMO
27. Gray area? : ANATOMY
32. __ Wednesday : ASH
33. Lightweight news story, say : FLUFF
34. First of 13 popes : LEO I
35. "__ It Romantic?" : ISN'T
36. Roman war galley features : FORESAILS
37. Witness's words : I SAW. And 47. Words to an old chap : I SAY
38. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs
44. Candidate's concern : IMAGE
45. Least palpable, as a touch : MEREST
46. Expose : TELL ON
48. L.A. hours : PST
51. Shoulder ornament : EPAULET. I can never spell this word correctly.
52. Nepalese legends : YETIs
53. Bottom line : NET GAIN
54. Fictional captain who is the son of a raja : NEMO. Inferable.
55. "Gotcha!" : AH SO
56. Draft : SWIG
57. Swift watercraft : HYDROFOIL New word to me.
62. Novice : ROOKIE
63. Even though : ALBEIT
64. Brazil's __ Alegre : PORTO
66. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE
67. Small salamander : NEWT
69. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Always associate her with Hitler.
72. Like some credit cards : NO FEE
74. Blow off steam : HISS
76. Unassertive sort : DOORMAT
79. 6 on a handset : MNO
80. Fall on the set, perhaps : STUNT
83. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand : NEHI
84. Blast furnace input : OREs
85. Its academy is in New London, Conn. : USCG. Good to know.
86. Asian nursemaid : AMAH
91. "Tsk!" : TUT
92. Clinton cabinet member Donna : SHALALA
93. Didn't leave alone : ALTERED
94. Troubles : PESTERS
96. Get out of trouble : RESCUE
97. Communications word after Romeo : SIERRA. NATO alphabet.
98. Sawyer and Keaton : DIANEs
99. Coach of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" : ROCKNE (Knute). Knute is a popular Norwegian name.
102. Additional : OTHER
103. Grant's bill : FIFTY. I don't think I've used a fifty-dollar bill.
104. "Alice" waitress : FLO
108. Wire measures : MILs
110. O.T. book after Amos : OBAD. Stumped me. Obadiah.
111. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA
112. Go public with : AIR
113. Big bang cause : TNT
114. French possessive : TES. Your.
115. Cloth meas. : YDs
116. Them, often : FOE
117. Criterion: Abbr. : STD
Answer grid.
Alright, look at these adorable "Hard to Believe" photos. Tell me who that boy is. He looks so pensive on the first picture. (Added later: It's Splynter.)
C.C.
24A. Angler's daydream? :
33A. Participate in a food fight? : FLIP ONE'S
51A. Ophthalmologist's diagnosis? : EYE
83A. Auto design now, vis-à-vis the 1950s? : NO -
101A. Offshore WBA venue? : ISLE OF
111A. Round up a passel of stoolies? : CATCH FORTY
4D. Bulldozer specification? :
82D. Unrestrained Kentucky Derby entrant? : FREE
Not familiar with John R Conrad. Cruciverb shows he had 2 puzzles with LA Times in 2006. Welcome back!
I like the theme. Grokked the gimmick earlier on. When I read the title, I thought some Fi's will be changed to Wi's, some Wi's will be changed to Fi's. That would be a little chaotic, but more fun. Yes?
Across:
1. Cram : STUFF. First thought: JAM IN
6. "Forget it, I'm just ranting" : IGNORE ME. Didn't come to me readily.
14. Rub : ABRADE
20. Nobelist Curie : MARIE
21. Finely worked fabrics : BROCADES. Like this. Bill G's wife should know something about that fabric.
22. Daytime TV fare : SOAPER
23. Slant : ANGLE
26. Adler of the stage : STELLA. Not familiar with this name. Would be great if it's clued as "A Streetcar Named Desire" related, since we also have 75A. Kowalski portrayer : BRANDO (Marlon) in the grid. Stanley Kowalski.
28. __ Tomé : SAO
29. Rial spender : OMANI
30. Door fastener : HASP
31. N, in many org. names : NATL
39. Ending with switch : EROO. Switcheroo. And 88A. Ranch ending : ERO. Ranchero.
40. Second: Abbr. : ASST
41. Amount to make do with : LESS. Tricky clue.
42. Have a party, say : HOST
43. Implemented, as an idea : RAN WITH
45. Subatomic particle : MUON. This word just looks so wrong.
46. Hot thing on a horse? : TIP. Oh, horse racing.
49. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. No idea. I do know Rai though, as in the stunning Aishwarya Rai. It seems that Rai, Rao and Raja are all variants of some royal surname.
50. Jawbreaker rock genre : EMO
55. Guru's residence : ASHRAM
58. Dotted line, at times: Abbr. : PERF
59. Delights : ELATES
60. Pacific Coast, e.g.: Abbr. : HWY
61. Whirl : GYRATE
63. How author Charles Reade is named? : APTLY. We've seen this clue before.
65. Cardinal : MAIN. What did you have in mind when reading the clue?
68. Sneak : SIDLE
70. Yeses, to Yves : OUIs.
71. Corporate identifier : LOGO
72. Bête __ : NOIRE
73. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE
74. Vaughan Williams contemporary : HOLST (Gustave). "The Planets" composer. Nailed it, Jayce?
77. Enforcers, with "the" : LAW
78. Amplified : ON MIKE
80. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)
81. Compensate for : OFFSET
87. "__ the fields ..." : O'ER
89. Verb addition? : OSE. Verbose.
90. Salacious stuff : SMUT
91. It's tapped to make syrup : TREE SAP
95. Natural successor : HEIR
97. Go over hastily : SCAN
98. Kick (out) : DRUM
100. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) : EHLE. Total stranger. How do you pronounce Ehle?
105. Bit : IOTA
106. Minnesota __ : FATS
107. Way through a fence : STILE
108. Apple for the teacher? : MAC. Why? Teachers mostly use Mac?
109. __ training : TOILET
118. Loud noise : BLARE
119. Dance in 3/4 time : MINUET
120. Aromatic : REDOLENT
121. "__ Nothin'": "Oklahoma!" song : ALL ER
122. Main road : ARTERY
123. Evaluated : ASSESSED
124. Twosomes : DYADs
Down:
1. Lollapalooza : SMASHER. Lollapalooza is a strange word.
2. Clarion blast : TANTARA
3. Pushes : URGES ON
5. React emotionally to : FEEL
6. Pugilists' org. : IBF (International Boxing Federation)
7. Mill inputs : GRISTs
8. Dietary restriction : NO SALT
9. Figura de __: Spanish ice-skater's move : OCHO. Figure eight.
10. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF
11. End of a dean's address : EDU
12. Brooks of "The Producers" : MEL
13. Bars at the bar : ESTOPS. Do you actually use this in your work, Lemonade/Hahtool?
14. Mongolian, e.g. : ASIAN
15. "__ chance, Monsieur!" : BONNE
16. Debonair : RAKISH
17. Bee: Pref. : API
18. Animal house : DEN. I've never seen "Animal House".
19. 0.0000001 joules : ERG. I bet constructor/Rich and his test-solvers had to check twice to make sure they got the right numbers of 0.
25. Med. care provider : HMO
27. Gray area? : ANATOMY
32. __ Wednesday : ASH
33. Lightweight news story, say : FLUFF
34. First of 13 popes : LEO I
35. "__ It Romantic?" : ISN'T
36. Roman war galley features : FORESAILS
37. Witness's words : I SAW. And 47. Words to an old chap : I SAY
38. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs
44. Candidate's concern : IMAGE
45. Least palpable, as a touch : MEREST
46. Expose : TELL ON
48. L.A. hours : PST
51. Shoulder ornament : EPAULET. I can never spell this word correctly.
52. Nepalese legends : YETIs
53. Bottom line : NET GAIN
54. Fictional captain who is the son of a raja : NEMO. Inferable.
55. "Gotcha!" : AH SO
56. Draft : SWIG
57. Swift watercraft : HYDROFOIL New word to me.
62. Novice : ROOKIE
63. Even though : ALBEIT
64. Brazil's __ Alegre : PORTO
66. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE
67. Small salamander : NEWT
69. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Always associate her with Hitler.
72. Like some credit cards : NO FEE
74. Blow off steam : HISS
76. Unassertive sort : DOORMAT
79. 6 on a handset : MNO
80. Fall on the set, perhaps : STUNT
83. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand : NEHI
84. Blast furnace input : OREs
85. Its academy is in New London, Conn. : USCG. Good to know.
86. Asian nursemaid : AMAH
91. "Tsk!" : TUT
92. Clinton cabinet member Donna : SHALALA
93. Didn't leave alone : ALTERED
94. Troubles : PESTERS
96. Get out of trouble : RESCUE
97. Communications word after Romeo : SIERRA. NATO alphabet.
98. Sawyer and Keaton : DIANEs
99. Coach of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" : ROCKNE (Knute). Knute is a popular Norwegian name.
102. Additional : OTHER
103. Grant's bill : FIFTY. I don't think I've used a fifty-dollar bill.
104. "Alice" waitress : FLO
108. Wire measures : MILs
110. O.T. book after Amos : OBAD. Stumped me. Obadiah.
111. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA
112. Go public with : AIR
113. Big bang cause : TNT
114. French possessive : TES. Your.
115. Cloth meas. : YDs
116. Them, often : FOE
117. Criterion: Abbr. : STD
Answer grid.
Alright, look at these adorable "Hard to Believe" photos. Tell me who that boy is. He looks so pensive on the first picture. (Added later: It's Splynter.)
C.C.
